TLDR
- Arman Tsarukyan knocked out Mauricio Ruffy with a walk-off elbow at 4:57 of the first round at UFC 331 in Los Angeles
- Caio Borralho predicted Tsarukyan would get knocked out if he struck with Ruffy, but the opposite happened
- Tsarukyan controlled the fight with clinch work before landing the finishing elbow strike in close quarters
- Ruffy entered on a streak with knockouts over Rafael Fiziev and Michael Chandler, while Tsarukyan had won five straight
- Tsarukyan improved to 23-3 and positioned himself for a potential lightweight title shot in 2027
Sources: yardbarker.com | ufc.com
Arman Tsarukyan knocked out Mauricio Ruffy with a walk-off elbow in the co-main event of UFC 331 on Saturday in Los Angeles. The finish came at 4:57 of the first round, defying a prediction from middleweight fighter Caio Borralho who thought the fight would go the other way.
Borralho had warned before the fight that Tsarukyan would get knocked out if he chose to strike with Ruffy. “I think if Arman wants to strike him, even if it’s a little bit, he’s going to get knocked out,” Borralho told MMA Fighting.
Instead, Tsarukyan landed a devastating elbow in close quarters that dropped Ruffy instantly. The referee waved off the fight as Tsarukyan walked away with his arms raised, ending the bout with a dramatic finish.
Tsarukyan controlled long stretches of the opening round with clinch work. He survived an early wobble from a Ruffy counter right hand before finding his finishing strike.
Arman Tsarukyan says he heard N3on calling for an elbow from his corner 😂
“He called the elbow, I heard it, and I did it. Great cornerman… But we gotta change the color of his hair.” pic.twitter.com/dZBmOmE5Ky
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) September 20, 2026
Borralho’s Connection to Ruffy
Borralho trained with Ruffy before the Brazilian lightweight switched coaching teams. Despite his wrong prediction about who would get knocked out, Borralho correctly identified Ruffy’s knockout power.
“I think Ruffy has the one-shot knockout power that he can turn off anyone in the division,” Borralho said. He suggested Tsarukyan’s best strategy would be to wrestle for the first two or three rounds and drain Ruffy’s gas tank.
Borralho called it “a 50-50 fight” before Saturday’s matchup. Tsarukyan ultimately used his clinch skills to set up the knockout blow rather than relying purely on wrestling.
Both Fighters Entered on Hot Streaks
Ruffy came into the fight riding momentum from violent knockouts over Rafael Fiziev and Michael Chandler in 2026. The wins established him as a dangerous finisher in the lightweight division.
Tsarukyan brought a five-fight winning streak that included victories over Charles Oliveira and Dan Hooker. The Armenian fighter had spent months competing in wrestling and grappling matches outside the cage before accepting the Ruffy fight.
The win improved Tsarukyan’s record to 23-3. His performance positions him for a potential lightweight title shot in 2027.
Ruffy drops to 14-2 after suffering his first UFC loss by knockout. The defeat ends his winning streak but does not erase the reputation he built as a dangerous striker in the division.
Tsarukyan’s elbow strike demonstrated his ability to finish fights in multiple ways. The walk-off knockout added another highlight to his resume as he pushes toward championship contention in the lightweight ranks.
